Train control system



May 23, 933. w, D. HAlLEs TRAIN CONTROL SYSTEM Original Filed July 18, 1929 /Q/ ATTORNEY Patented May 23, 1933 UNITEDSTTES.

PATENT oFFIcE WILLIAM HAILES, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGrll'OIIEt` TO GENERAL RAILWAY i SIGNAL COMPANY, 0F ROCHESTERQNEW' YORK TRAIN CONTROL .sars'rmir` (Original applicationled July 18, 1929, Serial No. 379,155. Divided and. this. application filed February' 25,1932. seria1No;595,127.

Thisdnventiony relates in generalto train control systems, `and has more particular ref# pen'dingapplication 379,155 filed July 18, 1929i` for train control systems.

It is `usual in classifying cars in classication yards; to run carsfto belclassified from a plurality ofltracks, to a single track, over a hump and through a retarder, to then run the cars-onto the proper classificationtracks. In this operation itis desirable to expedite mat- 15, ters afs-much as possible and, depending on conditions,thecars should be pushed over the hump' and through the retarder either faster or slower, or cars on certain incoming tracks should be stopped or backed up in order .to facilitate classification.` Itis therefore desirable to have aready and certain manner of imparting desired information to the various engineers moving the cars.

With the above and other considerations in view it is proposed in accordanceV with this invention to provide cab' signal system auto matically responsive to coded current placed on thetrack rails, for imparting the desired v matic form, and in no manner in `a limiting sense, oneformv which the invention can assume.` Inthedrawing:-`- i Fig: l is" aaviewof car-carried apparatus in accordance with this invention.

Fig: 2 is a'V diagrammatic illustration of codesw'hich canbe employed in connection with'the apparatus ofFig. 1. i

`Inconnection with the codes shown dia grammatically in Fig. 2,1 the codeindicating ,45 fast aheadin this specific case has two-hundred and forty impulsesperminute while the code indicating slow` ahead has forty impulses per minute, with the stopcode andthe ack codel respectively being constituted by currentsteady olf and` current-steady on, alternating current, being` employed in `order to obtain a good inductive effect between the carcarriedreceivers, to be described below, and the trackrails or equivalent members upon which thecode impulses are impressed The codes diagrammatically shown in Fig. 2 canbe produced in any usual or desired manner as by means of toothed code wheels or thelike asshown for example in the parent application 379,155.

Referringnow` to Fig; 1 there is here shown a car-carried.apparatus including receiving coi1s29, fourin number, one over each track' rail ahead of thecar axles 30, and one over each 'track rail behind the caraXles 30, whereby to inductively` pick up control energy from either: track rail regardless of'direction of travel.` TheV two receiving coils, over each trackrail,iare'suilicientiyi spaced to bridge over: any dead sectioninthe track rails, whereby at least onev ofthe receiving coils will' always be -subjectto the inductive influence .ofV any controln current applied to `the rails through a transformer or the like, as for example in the parent case.

Energy picked up by the receiving coils 29, is` transmitted through a tuned circuit includingV awcondenseiwol, to they primary of transformer T1, the secondary ofwhich is. connected tothe inputside of an amplifier Amp ofany usual or desired form, with the output side of amplifier Amp connected to a coding primary relay GPR, having contact fingers 32 and 33. The tuned circuitffor the primary of transformer T1, 4can be dispensed with if desired, it merely bein/ga refinement Y to .be used, preferably, when the train control current` is of a frequency different from the commercial frequencies employed. y

`With the apparatusVconnected up as just described, relay CPR picks up each time control energy is placed'on the trackV rails, and releases each time it is removed from the track rails, whereby contact fingers 32 and 33 followthe code. VVith current steady on, relay GPR picks up `and stays up, while with currentsteady oli" this relay releases and stays down.

`Contact linger` 32 operates to. place direct current energy across the lower half, or'the upper half, of the primary of Vtransfbrmer 3 and G;

T2, and then remove it therefrom, each time it makes and breaks contact with its back point and its front point, the primary of transformer T2 having connected across it a condenser 34.

In the above described manner, a part of the secondary of transformer T2 is momentarily energized each time relay @PR picks up and releases, to thereby energize a pickup circuit for relay @R2 through rectifiers Rect andRectl, whereby to energize relay @R4t with uni-directional current. The flow of current is through one or the other of the rectifiers, wire 35, relay @R4 and back through wire 36 to an intermediate tap on the secondary of transformer T2.

Relay @R2 is designed so as to pick up only if supplied with energy at a fast enough'rate, and in the present case,'is designed to pick up on the 240 per minute code, but not to pick up, or if picked up, to release, on the 40 per minute code.

Also included with relay @R43 are relays @R1, @R2 and @R3, these four relays constituting a decoding group of relays connected up to selectively respond to the code being received, to thereby selectively energize the cab signal @S which includes, in the present instance, a set of four lamps Gr, Y, W and B indicating, respectively, to the engineer, fast ahead, slow ahead, stop and back.

Relay @R2, as is apparent from the drawing, is energized through contact finger 33 andback point of relay CPR, whereby it j picks up on release of relay CPR.

In a similar manner CRL is energized through a circuit including Contact finger 33 and front'point of relay CPR, whereby to pick up when relay @PR picks up.

Relay @R3 is energized through a circuit including contact finger 37 and backrpoint of relay @R1, whereby relay @R3 is up when relay @R1 is down, and vice versa. y

All of the decoding relays @R1-@R4 are V-. designed to be slow to release whereby to stay up, when once picked up for a period of time at least equal to the longest ofl period of train control current occurring in any of the control codes.

In the position of the various parts as shown in Fig. 2, the W lamp of cab signal @S is energized through a circuit including contact finger 88 and Jfront point of relay @R3. As shown in Fig. 2, the W lamp, indicating stop, is energized in response to a code constituted by train control current being steady off.v

With current steady off, relay @PR is deenergized, to thereby assume its released position, thus to pick up Vrelay @R2, drop relay @R4, and also drop relay @R1. With relay @R1 down, relay @R3 is up. Under these conditions no complete circuit exists for energizing any of the other cab signals B, Y

@PR picks up each of the relays @R1 andA @R2 and these relays stay up since, as explained above, they are are slow to release.

With relay @R1 up, relay @R3 releases and stays down.

one terminal of a source of electrical energy, wire 39, lamp G, contact linger40 and front point of @R2 contact finger 41 and front point Vof @R2, contact finger 42 andr back point of @R3, and contactfinger 37 and front point of @Rito the other terminalB -l- If now the code placed on the track rails be the slow ahead or Y code, relays @R1, @R2

pick up and stay up, relay @R3 releases and stays down, and likewise relay @R4 releases and stays down. Thus a circuit for energizing the Y lamp of the cab signal, is completed, including contact finger 40 and back point of @R2 contact finger 41 and front point of @R2, contact linger 42 and back point of CRB, and contact finger 37 and front point of @R1.

When the code is changed to place lcurrent steady on the track rails indicating a back up move, relay @PR is picked up and held up, whereby to de-energize @R2 and @R3 and @R2 and energize @R1, whereby to complete an energizing circuit for the B lamp of the cab signal including, a back point of @R2, a back point of @R3 and a front point of @RR i With the invention as described above it is apparent that car-carried means have been provided which .selectivelyv respond to the code applied to the track rails to set up distinctive cab signals for advising the engineer how he should move the cars.

It is obvious ofcourse that various differ-l ent codes can be used and that while the inven tion has been described in connection with coded alternating currentthere might also be used coded direct current instead of the alternating current.

The decoding apparatus described above is merely one form to exemplify applicants invention, it being obvious that other forms of decoders, together withA other forms of codes, can be used if desired, as for example the decoders and codes disclosed in the W. D. I-Iailes application Ser. No. 228,058 led October 22, 1927 in which coded alternating current is employed.

If coded direct current be employed, in place of the alternating current, codes and receiving and decoding means such as shown The G lamp of c absignal nis now energized through a circuit including in the W. D. Hailes application, Ser. No. 249,457filed January 25, 1928 can be used.

The above rather specific description of one form of system embodying the present invention, has been given solely by way of illustration, and is not inten-ded, in any manner whatsoever,in a limiting sense. Obviously, this invention can assume many different physical forms, and is susceptible of numerous modifications, and all such forms and modifications are desired to be included by this invention, as come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having described my invention, I now claim l. A decoder for selectively responding to coded energy and in turn controlling secondary indication circuits, including, a primary relay operable to follow the code by picking up and releasing, a decoding relay energized from the secondary of a transformer the primary of which is energized through front and back points of the primary relay, two decoding relays respectively energized through a front and a back point of the primary relay, and another decoding relay energized through a back point of one of said two decoding relays.

2. A decoder for selectively responding to coded energy and in turn controlling secondary indication circuits, including, a primary relay operable to follow the code by picking up and releasing, a decoding relay energized from the secondary of a transformer the primary of which is energized through front and back points of the primary relay and picking up only above a predetermined rate of operation of the primary relay, two decoding relays respectively energized through a front and a back point of the primary relay, and another decoding relay energized through a back point of one of said two decoding relays, said decoding relays all being slow to release.

3. A decoder for selectively responding to coded energy and in turn controlling secondary indication circuits, including, a primary relay operable to follow the code by alternately picking up and releasing, a decoding relay energized from the secondary of a transformer the primary of which is energized through front and back points of the primary relay, two decoding relays respectively energized through a front and a back point of the primary relay, another decoding relay energized through a back point of one of said two decoding relays, and a plural aspect cab signal controlled selectively by said secondary circuits, said secondary circuits including front and back points of various of said decoding relays.

4. A decoder for selectively responding to coded energy and in turn controlling secondary indication circuits, including, a primary F' relay operable to follow the code by pickslow to release, and a plural aspect cab signal controlled selectively by said secondary circuits, said secondary circuits including front and back points of various of said decoding relays.

5. A decoding means, comprising a pri-V mary relay operable to follow the code by movement of its contact fingers to different positions, a decoding relay energized from the secondary of a transformer the primary of which is energized through different positions of the primary relay, and picking up only above a predetermined rate of operation ofthe primary relay, other decoding relays energized through different positions of said primary relay, and a further decoding relay energized through a back point of one of said other decoding relays.

6. A decoder for selectively responding to coded energy and in turn controlling secondary indication circuits, including, a primary relay operable to follow the code by alternately moving its controlled contactors to different positions, a decoding relay energized from the secondary of a transformer the primary of which is energized through the different positions of the primary relay, two decoding relays respectively energized through the diierent positions of the primary relay, and another decoding relay energized through a back point of one of said decoding relays.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature.

WILLIAM D. HAILES. 

